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18 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 15, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com A bus or train ticket out of town is no answer Continued from page 16 where affordable shelter can be offered to families and single women. The Salvation Army is represented on its board of directors, HSH receives some funding from Halton Region and community support. HSH received seed funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), operational funding from The Ontario Trillium Foundation, and capital for start-up costs from the Region of Halton through the federal Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI). It also received encouragement and advice from Kerr Street Ministries. HSH received its official non-profit charitable status in September 2004. That month also marked the purchase of the first HSH home. Five residents moved into a beautiful, newly renovated home -- thanks to volunteers and founding members rolling up sleeves and painting or doing other renovation work, fundraising and more -- on Nov. 1, 2005. The townhouse is a 2,100 sq. ft. Sprucing up your kitchen a bit? prucing up your kitchen bit bit? Need a little h lp with it? eed ittl help ith d he Mirrored back splashes are all the rage! ck Just use the coupon from this page. he pon e his pa page pag pa 25% off all glass or mirrored back splashes Mirror colours available ­ Clear, Bronze or Grey. Unlimited Glass colours ­ Spandrel or GlassKote ­ Set up Set-up fee applies for GlassKote or Spandrel glass Spand glass. Valid until October 31, 2008 550 Bronte Rd., Oakville home in a subdivision near local transit and cost just under $300,000. Today, nearly three years later, the housing for families is ready. Thanks to fundraising of nearly $50,000 at last year's Empty Bowls event, a $50,000 contribution and another $50,000 pledge from the May Court Club of Oakville, the apartment complex, also in a residential area, was purchased for just under $800,000. Now HSH is looking at replicating itself elsewhere in Canada. "We did find a way around the community opposition," said Perkins. "Without Home Suite Hope, many of the people we serve would eventually be given a bus ticket to Hamilton or a train ticket to Toronto and that, I believe, is unconscionable in our community," said Perkins. As Perkins said, homelessness does exist in town, it's just not that we're stepping over people on the street. The townhouse operated by HSH provides housing for men and contains five bedrooms. It has had 29 graduates. Perkins said the home is not supervised, so the men mentor one another as they choose to live together as a means of overcoming economic obstacles. Often it allows them to become part of a social circle and helps get them "back in the loop." Many it serves have come from living in the street or in their vehicle. They are over 18 and have been over 60 years old. "Most have had a combination of things that have knocked them about before they've become homeless," said Perkins. Through a HSH facilitator, the program works to reconnect the men with job opportunities or upgrade their skills to the point where they can secure a sustainable income. Six months of homelessness can bring someone to the point of not believing they are worth helping, said Perkins. There is a cost effectiveness to helping someone before they're living on the street and hardened to the street, according to Perkins. Advocacy is a big part of what HSH offers and Perkins said she has seen a difference that can occur when a homeless person is dealt with by community agencies when a HSH advocate is present. Through an intake interview, HSH evaluates a person's readiness to change their circumstances and their motivation to become stable. "That is more work for women and children because the economic barriers faced are even higher," said Perkins. Women and children often come to the attention of HSH when they are evicted. Seniors, too, can face homelessness when rents increase, their pensions don't and they continue paying the rent they always pay until evicted. HSH is available to anyone in Halton, but because it is in Oakville, it tends to be Oakville people served. The new six-unit apartment, to serve families and single women, is "a huge step forward," said Perkins. It also offers outreach, which can help intervene to forestall eviction, thereby assisting people on the verge of becoming homeless by throwing support around them. With the understanding that the trauma of losing one's personal possessions can be a huge blow emotionally, mentally and financially, Perkins said HSH is a person-centred rather than a system-centred program. It can help a person connect the dots, so to speak, accessing various services offered across the community. Perkins said she became aware of the need through the effort to establish the Salvation Army shelter. "There were gaps that needed to be addressed," said Perkins, calling it "appalling" that in such a wonderful place, there was no means of addressing "our own people who are falling on hard times." "It is incredible to me that we can't get this together in this community," said Perkins, who in her role at HSH also concentrates on advocacy for more affordable housing and increased services and assistance to vulnerable populations. HSH can be reached at 200 North Service Rd. W., # 424, Unit 1 or at 905339-2370. 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